This invention concerns a device for connecting a longitudinal bar to a pedicle screw.
From the related art, a large number of pedicle screws for fixation of the spinal column are already known; these known pedicle screws have the advantage that the individual pedicle screw can be attached to or removed from the longitudinal bar at any time without having to dismantle the entire fixation system. Such a pedicle screw is known from European Patent No. 330,881 B, for example.
The disadvantage of this and similar pedicle screws is the relatively complicated locking mechanisms for securing the longitudinal bar inserted into the open pedicle screw head. Furthermore, in most cases the head of the screw can be aligned with the position of the longitudinal bar only to a limited extent, necessitating complicated bending of the longitudinal bar to the correct angle.
This invention will provide a remedy in this regard. This invention is based on the problem of creating a device for connecting a longitudinal bar to a pedicle screw, said device being easy to handle and permitting bending of the pedicle screw within a certain range.
The present invention relates to a spinal fixation system including a longitudinal member positionable along the spinal column, a fastener for engaging a vertebra, and a connector for connecting the fastener and the longitudinal member. One part of the connector is a body having a through hole for receiving the longitudinal member and an opening in the bottom surface leading to the interior of the body. Another part of the connector is a collet chuck configured and dimensioned to be slideably received in the interior of the body. The collet chuck has a through hole alignable with the body through hole for insertion of the longitudinal member in the connector, a plurality of resilient tongues, and a chamber defined by inner surfaces of the tongues and configured and dimensioned to receive the fastener head. The tongues flex outward for receiving the fastener head in the chamber and flex back inward for retaining the fastener head in the chamber. The connector also includes a locking element for securing the longitudinal member in the body and collet chuck through holes. Engagement of the locking element results in inward movement of the tongue and thereby secures the fastener at a surgeon selected angle.
In one embodiment, the desired number of devices according to this invention can be aligned on a longitudinal bar and can be simply snapped onto the pedicle screw with a spherical head already implanted in the vertebrae, so that a primary connection between the longitudinal bar and the pedicle screw is established. Other embodiments of the device according to this invention permit subsequent insertion of the longitudinal bar from the side or from above. By screwing the set screw into the fixation device, the longitudinal bar is locked axially and rotationally in the device at the same time, and the device is secured in a stable angular position. The set screw presses on the longitudinal bar inserted into the device, and the longitudinal bar presses on the bushing of the fixation device, and the bushing braces the collet chuck on the preferably spherical head of the pedicle screw by way of corresponding, preferably conical inside surfaces of the bushing and outside surfaces of the collet chuck.
Other embodiments in turn permit sequential and independent locking of the longitudinal bar and rotation of the device with respect to the pedicle screw.
Thus, in comparison with known devices, the device according to this invention offers the advantage that the pedicle screws can not only be secured exactly perpendicular to the longitudinal bar but also permit an angle bend of up to xc2x1250. This is especially important if the longitudinal bar has not been bent accurately, which leads to major problems in assembly with traditional systems.
A preferred refinement of the device according to this invention consists of the fact that it also includes a pedicle screw with a preferably spherical head. The head of the pedicle screw is preferably provided with structuring in the form of transverse grooves or transverse ribs to achieve better fixation (bracing against the collet chuck). To be able to screw these pedicle screws into the bone, they are preferably provided with a hexagon socket in the spherical head.